Wittmann versus Ekins

Posted on Wednesday 17th May 2017

Wittmann
versus Ekins

With
the opening of the Tiger exhibition at the Tank Museum in Dorset it
was inevitable that the discredited TV theory that tanks of the 27th
Sherbrooke Fusiliers knocked out the German panzer ace Michael
Wittmann would resurface somewhere. This is a shame as it distracts
from the achievements of British and Canadian divisions during
Operation Totalize under the command of Canadian general Guy Simmons
on 8 August 1944. They finally broke through the line south of Caen,
which the Germans had held for nearly three weeks and had advanced by
late morning some four miles through the layered enemy defences. Not
only that they saw off a powerful German armoured counter-attack,
knocking out five Tigers in the process.

Tiger
007 commanded by Hauptsturmfurher Michael Wittmann during the counter
attack on 8 August 1944. Model made by Glyn Spurr.

Having
extensively interviewed Trooper Joe Ekins and walked the ground from
both German and Allied perspectives for BHTV’s full length
documentaries Wittmann v Ekins and 12th
Hitlerjugend SS Panzer Division the Canadian case is at best
circumstantial. On the other hand, we have the detailed testimony of
Joe Ekins in full on film and in addition, first hand German accounts
point firmly towards Ekins firing the fatal shot that knocked out
Tiger 007.

The
Hitlerjugend’s
counter-attack was launched with the support of the remaining eight
operational Tigers of SchwereSS-Panzer-Abteilung
101commanded
by Knights Cross holder Hauptsturmfuhrer
Michael Whittmann. The attack was launched in a poorly coordinated
rush, with a master bomber circling overhead, the portent of another
devastating rain of high explosive from USAAF Flying Fortresses.
Wittmann advanced north astride the Falaise road, the safest place
being close to the enemy beyond the bomb line. Kampfgruppe
Waldmuller consisting of Panzer IVs, Jagdpanzer IV and the infantry
of the Corps and Divisional Begleit
(Escort) companies to the right and rear of the Tigers. Little did
they know that they were advancing towards the guns of three British
and Canadian armoured regiments, twenty five percent of whose tanks
were the Sherman Firefly armed with the devastatingly fearsome
17-pounder gun.

Velikye
Lukie the Sherman Firefly in which Joe Ekins was gunner during
Operation Totalize. Glyn Spurr presented this model and that of Tiger
007 to Joe Ekins at the Tank Museum.

It
would seem that most of the Tigers, advancing astride the N158
towards A Squadron of the Sherbrookes who were all armed with the low
velocity 75mm gun, were deflected to the east of Gaumsenil into a
killing area formed by the Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 141 RAC
Regiment and the remainder of the Sherbrookes. In the ensuing battle
five tigers were knocked out three claimed by Joe Ekins, one by 141
Regiment RAC and two by the Sherbrookes; a total of six tanks. One
has been double counted!

This
is a short extract from the film in which Joe describes in detail to
Tom Dormer the shot that destroyed Wittmann’s Tiger.

The
air photo montage shows the location the location of the knocked-out
Tigers. Joe Ekins claimed in the order that he targeted them 314, 007
and either 312 or 009 one of which was almost certainly knocked out
by 141 RAC and the Tiger south of Gaumsenil was taken on by the
Sherbrookes. 007 is the only other tank that could be knocked out by
the Sherbrookes with their 75 mm guns but the wall on this flank was
backed by outbuilding at the time and shows no sign of rebuilding
that the southerly wall plainly shows as a result of the Sherbrookes
lowering it to barrel height.

Annotated
air photograph

The
only way to reconcile the two claims is that the Sherbrookes could
have damaged Wittmann’s tank and he was turning to the right i.e.
towards Joe, in order to go out of action. While he was still
turning, Joe hit him with the resulting devastating explosion.

The
full story of the converging lives of Wittmann a knight of the Nazi
empire and Ekins a shoemaker from Northamptonshire, along with the
full case behind Joe’s claim is available on DVD from Pen
and Sword or as a View on Demand on mobiles, tables, computers
and smart TVs from BHTV.

Joe Ekins
Wittmann

Taking it Further

Wittmann Vs Ekins DVD(DVD)
ISBN: 9781848843424

by Tom Dormer Only £12.99
RRP £19.99

The story of two men destined to face each other on the battlefields of Normandy is told in this programme. Michael Wittmann was a knight of the Nazi empire, a natural and accomplished soldier and highly decorated. Like Wittmann, Trooper Joe Ekins, a shoemaker from Northamptonshire, was a volunteer for military service but there the similarities ended. Joe was a reluctant soldier in a county yeomanry armoured regiment, while Wittmann served in the Waffen SS's elite Tiger Battalion.